Player of the Year Update -- Dan Smith and Ole Schemion Climb In Cannes

This week in the 2012 Card Player Player of the Year race, sponsored by Lock Poker, the controversial final running of the Partouche Poker Tour made a huge impact on the POY race. Here’s an in-depth look at the players who made the biggest moves this week.

Partouche Poker Tour Grand Final

The Partouche Poker Tour Grand Final in Cannes, France has become one of Europe’s largest poker tournaments in recent years, with marquee names like Vanessa Selbst and Sam Trickett taking home millions as champions.

Season five of this tour ended amid much controversy when a total of 573 entries had built a prizepool of roughly €4.3 million, which was all the tour seemed to be paying out, despite an announced €5 million guarantee. The promise was first shrugged off as a marketing trick, and then later reinstated.

As a result of the prizepool dispute, which drew vocal criticism from notable poker pros, Partouche Poker Tour CEO Patrick Partouche announced that this would be the final running of the PPT.

The €736,880 needed to fulfill the guarantee was eventually added to the prizepool and divided amongst the 57 players who made the money. The lion’s share went to champion Ole Schemion, who took home $1,473,769.

In addition to money, a ton of POY points were also awarded at this final table, making a big impact on the 2012 POY race. Schemion earned a massive 2,100 points at his fifth final table of the year. As a result moved into sixth place in the overall standings with 2,956 points, two titles to his name and year-to-date earnings of $1,662,657.

POY points leader Dan Smith continued his unbelievable run in 2012 by finishing seventh in this event for $224,293 and 525 points. This was Smith’s eighth final table of the year, with five titles won and to-date earnings of $3,537,941. This was Smith’s seventh six-figure score of 2012, and as a result of all this success, he now sits with 4,625 points and a lead of 873 over nearest competitor Kyle Julius in the POY race.

Other notables who made deep runs include Dan O’Brien (4th – $429,736), Ozzy Sheikh (14th – $63,984) and David Williams (17th – $57,575).

Here is a look at the top twenty of the 2012 POY race:

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